Could be a sad ending for one Pike County library branch

The Pike County Public Library's Lackawaxen branch in Greeley is on life support and board of trustees members are about to pull the plug.

WAYNE WITKOWSKI

The Pike County Public Library's Lackawaxen branch in Greeley is on life support and board of trustees members are about to pull the plug.

That was the sentiment of board members at the end of Monday's monthly meeting at the Delaware Valley Administration Building in Westfall Township as they headed into executive session to discuss the fate of that branch. If it closed, those services would be moved to another area and Blooming Grove was one of the suggested areas. Bushkill also has been in consideration, but there is not a pre-existing site there for it.

"There are times where a librarian would sit at the desk and no one would come through the door for two hours," said Library Director Ellen Schaffer.

The branch, opened in 1997, costs $20,000 a year to run and that could nearly double for a branch that draws an average of 400 patrons a month. The Dingmans branch pulls in 10 times that amount and the township pays the library a $16,000 annual donation. Greeley gave $500 this year.

The board needs to decide soon. Operating costs are projected to rise to "at least $35,000," said Schaffner, because a library must have its branches open for 20 hours in order for that library system to receive state grants. Schaffner said the library received a two-year waiver from the state to exclude that branch, but that expires at the end of the year.

"We've asked for a few waivers and you can't keep asking for them because after a while, they won't give it," Schaffner said. "We've tried everything with different hours, weekend hours, nothing seems to work."

Board members pointed out that some residents of that area patronize the Hawley library.

Schaffner said she also was forced to reduce hours at the other branches but still maintained more than 20 hours of service a week.

Board members cited a loss of $108,000 over the last two years from annual donations that were discontinued, including the Delaware Valley School District that went from a $35,000 annual donation to $17,500 two years ago to nothing this year.

"It's the bottom line: If they don't have the numbers what can you do," said Neil Bonner, who came when he heard that the Lackawaxen branch discussion, first brought up in the October meeting, would be discussed again.

"I'm surprised more people didn't come in opposition (to closing it)," said Commonwealth Library District Consultant Pam Murphy, who sits on the board.